Survival Skills
by A very odd fellow
Summary: The Third decides to protect Naruto by spiriting him away after the Yondaime's battle with Kyuubi. Follow a whole new adventure based upon a simple change.
1. A New Beginning

A/N: Ah, finally! I get to write my first pure Naruto fic. This fic, if nothing else, will be like no other Naruto fic out there. I've worked hard to make this as original as possible. The chapters will be quite a bit longer than my two previous fics, so the updates may be slower. I have enlisted the help of lunarflames to improve my writing quality. Be sure to thank him when you review. Please R & R.

Survival Skills-Prologue

"Damn it! I won't be able to hold this demon back much longer! Hey! Stupid fox! I'm afraid I'm not gonna be able to celebrate your defeat like I planned! Ichiraku's gonna have to cancel my reservations. But I need to fulfill the promise I made to this village and child. It's time to end this! Hey you overgrown guppy, you know what to do, right?"

"Of course I do, you blonde haired urchin." Gamabunta retorted.

The Blonde man's hands went through a set of seals at an incredible rate. "Thanks Gamabunta. Bring my son! Quickly!" An anbu member appeared behind the Yondaime, holding a small blonde baby boy. "I'm sorry I have to do this, Naruto. I hope you'll grow up thought of as the hero that saved the village, since the other half of that team dies tonight.

"**Saying your last goodbye to your son? Yes... I suppose you are about at your limit. Humans have such frail bodies, don't they? However... I AM NOT DONE YET!" **Demonic chakra exploded around the demon as it charged the menace atop the giant frog.

A grin appeared on the Yondaime's face as he finished the seal and turned to face the demon. ""Heh, you're right on one thing, fox. I'm as good as dead. But... you were wrong. You're done, alright. You can't handle Konoha. And you CAN'T handle ME!" The Fourth Hokage yelled as he grabbed hold of the nine-tailed fox and dismissed Gamabunta. The frog boss bowed his head in respect to the passing of the one man who ever managed to befriend him... disappearing from the Fourth's command for the last time.

A loud grunt rang from the fox as it slammed to a stop. A hand reached through the fourth's body, grabbing onto the demon's hateful soul. **"WHAT? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? I WON'T be bound AGAIN! I WON'T have to escape AGAIN! I WON'T BE CAUGHT BY YOU! YOU. WILL. DIE. NOW!"** The Kyuubi's chakra enveloped the fourth's body, burning around the infuriating menace as he screamed under its squeezing force.

The fourth smiled at the demon as the chakra kept squeezing and burning around his body. "This... is my ultimate respect to you... Kyuubi. I made a pact... with the death god. You've escaped him before... but you're ...stuck this time." The fourth's lungs felt like they were on fire... his body screaming from the pain of both demonic and godly origins. I can't trap you... with my dead corpse... but I can... with my son's... living body."

"I warned you Kyuubi... That you would regret harming my village... my people. It's time... for you to meet... Naruto. He will become... the best... even stronger than me... You should... learn from his life... at the very least... to not fuck around in Konoha. The hokage smirked at the trapped demon. He could see in its eyes; it knew exactly what was going to happen. "Shiki Fuin!"

The demon gave a final scream that would sear itself into the members of Konoha for the rest of their lives. The fourth fell onto his knees, placing his hand on the boy's stomach. "Shisho Fuin! Grow strong son... and teach the world around you... the truth of Konoha... Hakke no Fuin Shiki!" The Yondaime saw a tear fall on his son's face as the god of death claimed his prize... without so much as a goodbye.

"The demon is dead!" The cry rose from the crowd.

"My people, it is time for you to meet your savior." Heads turned toward the older man addressing them, "my successor, the Yondaime Hokage, gave his life to defeat the demon." A cry rose, praising the great man's valiant efforts. "But he was unable to kill it." A murmur went through the crowd. "He was forced to seal it inside a baby boy instead."

This brought exclamations from the crowd. "How could a baby contain the power of a demon? He must be killed before the demon escapes!" A voice called out.

"There is no danger of the Kyuubi escaping; the seal cannot be broken." The Sandaime assured the crowd.

"Easy for you to say; even if it did escape, you don't have much to lose." Another voice yelled, which was met with murmurs of agreement. "The boy must be killed to protect the village!" This exclamation was met with a cheer.

"I was afraid this might happen." The former hokage muttered to himself. To the crowd, he called out, "Is there nothing I can do to dissuade you from this course of action?"

"We can't afford to let him live!" The answer resounded throughout the crowd.

"Then I ask but one favor of you. Let me be the one to perform the act. I feel that I am partially responsible for causing him this hardship."

A series of mutterings went on within the crowd. "Fine, we'll allow you that. Just make sure you get the job done." The answer came.

"I'm sorry to have to do this to you, but I think this way will be best for everyone involved, but especially you." The older man told the day-old boy once he was away from the crowd. Eventually, the pair came upon a huge complex on the edge of the village. "I pray that you will be safe here. The guards at the gate looked surprised, but parted for their unexpected guest. "Good sirs, I am looking for Hizashi-sama. Do you know where I might find him?"

"Sarutobi-sama, he will most likely be taking care of his young son. They reside in that house over there." One of the guards said, pointing to a house towards the center of the complex.

"Thank you. I will be sure to mention your vigilance to Hiashi-sama." The older gentleman walked toward the house he had been directed to by the guard.

"Thank you, Sarutobi-sama."

The Sandaime walked up to the door and knocked softly but firmly. Hizashi opened the door, wondering who could possibly be visiting on a day in which so many people had died. He was surprised to see the Third Hokage at the door, and further surprised at his unusual request. "Hizashi-sama, there is a matter of which I wish to speak to you in private."

"Of course, Sarutobi-sama, please come inside." He let the older man inside, "Would you like me to take your coat?"

"Ah, thank you for the offer, but I shall decline. I don't plan on staying long. I'm going to go straight to the purpose of my visit. Would you be willing to adopt a baby boy?"

Hizashi was shocked; he was trained not to be surprised by anything, but even his byakugan couldn't have seen this coming, "Wha-?" was his intelligent response.

"His parents were killed by the Kyuubi, and he has no other relatives." The Sandaime explained.

"But I already have a son." Hizashi was still trying to recover from the shock.

"That was one of the factors that led to me choosing you for this mission. Although this boy is just over a year younger than yours, just so you know."

"Why me? Why can't he go to an orphanage like the other parentless children? Anyways, I'm sure there are plenty of other people who have young children." Hizashi asked, puzzled by the man's statements.

"Perhaps, but his parents were great ninjas, with a lot of enemies. I can think of no other family that could protect and train this boy better than yours."

"Why don't you go to the main family then? I'm sure he'd be better off there."

"That may be so, but he'd also be more in the public spotlight. I would prefer he remain hidden from the outside world for as long as possible, to reduce the risk of someone associating him with tonight."

"I understand, Sarutobi-sama, but I don't know what my brother will say about it. He's quite strict about tradition and all that."

The older man chuckled, "That is true; don't worry about him. I will discuss this matter with him if you accept. One last thing: this is an S-rank mission, and you will be paid likewise. You will receive a sizable monthly stipend to pay for food, clothes, housing, training, and the extra work a second child will require."

"Honey, what's going on out-Oh! Sarutobi-sama, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Hizashi's wife, Yamashita, walked into the room.

"Dear, he has a mission for us, although it is optional."

"A mission? What kind of mission?" The young lady was confused.

"How would you feel about having another son?" Hizashi asked carefully.

"Huh?" She was completely lost now, "What are you talking about?"

"Sarutobi-sama has come to the conclusion that our family is best suited to take care of a baby boy left parentless by the Kyuubi." Hizashi explained.

"Sarutobi-sama, would you mind if we discuss this matter in private for a few moments?" Yamashita asked politely.

"Not at all." The gentleman replied.

The couple walked into the next room. "Well, what do you think of the mission?" Hizashi asked his wife.

"I don't know; this is all very sudden." She responded.

"Well, I don't mind taking on another son, but it's up to you." Hizashi said.

"Hmm…how old is this boy?" She inquired.

"About a year younger than Neji."

"A year? That means he couldn't be more than a couple of days old." Yamashita thought again, "Do we know who the parents were?

"I'm afraid not, although Sarutobi-sama did say that they were exceptional ninjas."

"Well, I was hoping for a daughter…but I suppose I can handle another son."

"Great! I'll give him to you now, and then I'll go talk to Hiashi-sama about this." The Sandaime's voice came from the other room.

"I thought we were supposed to be discussing this matter in private!" The young couple yelled back.

"What good does it serve to become hokage if you can't use your mad hokage skills every once in a while?" The older man said with a smile, as the pair reentered the room.

"Well, can we meet our new son now?" She asked.

"Of course." The Third Hokage took a bundle out from under his coat. "His name is Naruto. You three get acquainted; I have a conference with the chief that I must attend." One of the greatest ninjas the world had ever known walked through the Hyuuga complex whistling. He made history that night, becoming the first person to ever survive after publicly whistling in the Hyuuga compound.

"Look, dear, he has some sort of seal on his stomach." She pointed out.

"Hmm, this seal is unfamiliar to me. I don't think we should mess with it for now. We'll ask Sarutobi-sama about it when we get the chance." Hizashi decided.

Just then, said person rushed back into the house. "I forgot to tell you. The seal on his stomach was a parting gift from his parents. Don't tell anybody about it, and don't try to alter it in any way, under any circumstances."

"Hai, Sarutobi-sama." The couple responded. "His name will be Hyuuga Omiyage Naruto, for he is a gift to the Hyuuga clan." Sarutobi smiled at these last words he heard from Yamashita.

The Sandaime Hokage left the young couple to fuss over their unexpected family member, and went straight for the Hyuuga Headquarters. "I'm here to speak with Hiashi-sama." He told the guards. "It's a family matter."

"Of course, Sarutobi-sama. He's in his office."

"What brings you here, Sarutobi-sama? I only wish you could have seen our complex during a happier time." Hiashi greeted the older man.

"As do I, Hiashi-sama. I only came to notify you that your brother and his wife have accepted a mission." The Third said.

"Why are you telling me this? They take missions all the time." Hiashi inquired, confused.

"This is not just any mission. This mission involves raising a child."

"Neji? How is raising their son a mission?" Hiashi was used to knowing everything that went on in his territory; he was not used to having to ask for information.

"Their mission is to raise a child, but the child is not Neji. They have agreed to adopt Naruto, whose parents were killed by the Kyuubi."

"Sarutobi-sama-" Hiashi tried to interrupt, but the Sandaime held up a hand to forestall any questions and continued.

"His parents two of our top ninjas, and they made a lot of enemies. I have determined that your brother and his wife are the best suited for this mission. They have their own son, so they have some experience. They are Hyuuga, so I know he will be trained and protected. But perhaps more important than that, they are of the branch family; therefore, they will be able to keep him hidden longer than perhaps anyone else in the village. This is of extreme importance: I don't want anybody to know about him for as long as possible." The Third Hokage finished.

Hiashi thought for a minute. "I'll agree to this arrangement on one condition: the boy will be treated as one of the Hyuuga; he'll be given no special treatment." Hiashi said firmly.

"I would expect nothing less. Although, you must remember that he is not Hyuuga. He will require slightly different training, and he is not to have a branch family seal placed on him."

Hiashi pondered this for a moment, "Fine, I agree. From this moment on, Naruto is a member of my brother's family." He concluded.

A/N: What do you think? I welcome any suggestions given in reviews. Be sure to also include a huge thank you to lunarflames, he's helping to improve this fic in ways most of you will never know. Now, please review.


	2. Pain

A/N: Wow, a ton of reviews. 23 to be exact. I love you people.

Chapter two: Pain

Naruto was restless. "Neji-niisan, I can't sleep." The three year old told his brother.

"Count sheep." Neji suggested before quickly falling asleep.

Naruto sighed; his brother never had any trouble getting to sleep. He, on the other hand, had way too much energy to fall asleep any time soon. He got out of bed, deciding to train for a while so he could wear himself out. He could always use training; he was the only Hyuuga he knew of that didn't have the funky eye thingy. He had to make up for it, so he trained harder than the other kids of his age, often joining Neji in practicing with some of the older shinobi. Everything was so tough for Naruto; out of the entire practice group, he had the worst chakra control by far. Naruto decided to change that tonight. He was going to practice until he could perform all the practice maneuvers perfectly. Or until he was ready to go to sleep, whichever came first. "Ok, time to do this!" Naruto shouted excitedly.

"Naruto, go to bed!" His father shouted from his room.

"Ok!" Naruto said before making his way outside.

"Is that boy ever going to learn any respect?" Hizashi said, exasperated.

"I doubt it. You're just jealous they won't allow you to act like that." Yamashita replied, "Now, where were we?" She said seductively.

"You said you still wanted a daughter." Hizashi replied, turning towards his lovely wife.

"Oh yes, that's right. Now I remember."

"Hmm, what should I try first?" Naruto grinned. "I know; I'll go climb the trees outside the walls. They never let me go out there like the other shinobi. Now I get to see what's so special about the outside." Naruto snuck through the shadows carefully, avoiding the guards. He didn't have much to worry about other than a direct confrontation, since he was below the range of their eye thingy. Naruto carefully climbed over the wall, quickly falling to the ground and looking around to make sure he hadn't been spotted. When he was sure it was safe, he chose the tallest tree he could find and began training. "Ugh, this is hard; why does everyone else get it so easily?" Naruto grumbled, after working for an hour, and only having gotten about halfway up the tree. "Ok, I'm gonna keep trying until I get it done. I won't take back my words; it's my ninja way!" Now revitalized, Naruto attacked his training with renewed fervor. Slowly but surely, Naruto approached the top of the tree. "Almost there," Naruto's energy was finally starting to flag. "I've got to try once more. I can do this." Naruto said to himself as he prepared himself for one last run. Naruto ran at the tree, focusing chakra in his feet as he drew near to the tree. "Here goes nothing!" Naruto yelled as he hit the tree and kept running, his body parallel to the ground. Just as he was nearing the top, he felt himself faltering, "No! Not when I'm so close!" With an extra burst of speed, he made it to the top…and barely stopped himself from running off the tree in its entirety. "Haha! I did it!." Naruto panted heavily from exhaustion. "I can't wait to show Neji-neechan!"

Just then, some movement caught Naruto's eye. "What's someone doing out here at this time?" Naruto wondered. He leapt from branch to branch through the trees, his tiredness forgotten in the pursuit of getting a better look at whoever was out at this strange hour. He nearly fell out of the tree when he saw who it was. It was a stranger, a foreign shinobi, and if that wasn't strange enough, what, or rather, who he was carrying did. He was carrying his cousin, Hyuuga Hinata. Naruto didn't know what was happening, but he was sure of one thing: it wasn't normal. Naruto jumped down, startling the man. "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Naruto yelled.

Lights flickered on in the Hyuuga compound. "Look what you've done now, brat. Damn it! Looks like I'll have to take two prisoners tonight." The man said as he quickly knocked Naruto out cold, or so he thought.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Naruto yelled as he rubbed the back of his head, grimacing. "YOU'RE NOT A VERY NICE MAN!"

"You are most certainly the loudest Hyuuga I've ever met." The man muttered as he dropped into a combat stance. "You've ruined everything, brat; I hope you're happy."

"There he is! The man who kidnapped the heir! Get him!" Shouts came from all directions.

"I've failed you, my family. But I've done my duty to the Cloud." The man said as Hiashi ended his life with a quick blow to the heart.

"N-naruto-san?" Hinata spoke softly.

"Huh? You say something, Hinata?" Naruto looked at the small, shy girl.

"I-I just wanted to…" Hinata started.

"What? Speak up, Hinata; I can't understand you." Naruto said, leaning closer to her.

"T-thank you, N-naruto-san." Hinata said, slightly louder.

"Eh? For what?" Naruto was confused.

"F-for helping stop the s-scary m-man." Hinata answered.

"Oh, I didn't help that much." Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "You should be thanking your father; he's the one that stopped the guy."

"But he wouldn't have known about him if you hadn't yelled for help." Hinata pointed out shyly.

"Huh? I didn't yell for help; that's how I always greet strangers carrying off important people in the middle of the night." Naruto replied, confused.

Hinata laughed, "Of course you do, Naruto-san."

"You don't need to call me Naruto-san. It's embarrassing." Naruto said, instinctively moving his hand behind his head again.

"Ok, what do you want to be called?" Hinata asked tentatively.

"It doesn't matter to me; anything except –san or –sama." Naruto shrugged.

"Umm, Naruto, I don't know any other endings." Hinata said.

"That's perfect!" Naruto said excitedly.

"What?" It was Hinata's turn to be puzzled.

"You can call me Naruto!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"Are you sure? That seems kind of informal." Hinata questioned softly.

"Eh! What's that?" Naruto questioned, scrunching his face in thought.

"Never mind; Naruto it is." Hinata said.

"Nani! What do you mean you're leaving?" Naruto was frantic. "When are you coming back?"

"I'm afraid I won't be coming back." Hizashi replied calmly.

"Why not?" The last comment hadn't calmed him down any.

"I have to do it for the good of the main family." Hizashi said.

"Who cares about the main family? You can't leave us, Otou-san!" Naruto argued.

"I'm sorry; everything will be explained when you are able to understand. Just remember this: I love you and your mom." Hizashi said as he left to talk to Neji.

"I heard, father. It's ok, you don't have to explain anything; I understand." Neji said coolly.

"I'm sorry I have to out you through this, son. Promise me you'll take care of your mother and brother for me." Hizashi said seriously.

"I will, father. That's one thing you don't have to worry about." Neji responded solemnly.

"I'm gonna go see your mother now." Hizashi said as he tousled his son's hair for the last time.

"Honey?" Hizashi spoke into the dark room. He didn't hear a response for a moment, until the sound of muffled sobbing reached his ears.

"It's ok, just let it out, I'm here for you." Hizashi comforted her.

"But you won't be for much longer!" Yamashita pointed out, breaking into a fresh round of tears.

"Shh, please, don't let our last moments together be miserable. I would prefer you enjoy these moments while they last." Hizashi said, wrapping his arms around his young wife.

"How is that even possible?" Yamashita inquired, looking into his eyes.

"Well, there's always your goal." Hizashi suggested with a glint in his eyes.

"Which goal?" Yamashita asked, although she had a pretty good idea of where he was heading with this.

"Your goal of having a daughter, of course." Hizashi answered nonchalantly.

"How can you think of that kind of thing at a moment like this?" Yamashita chided.

"What? I'm jus trying to do what I can to assuage your grief." Hizashi defended himself.

"I'm sure." Yamashita said, still staring suspiciously at her husband.

"Well, if you don't want to…" Hizashi said, walking toward the door.

"Just shut up and close the door." Yamashita told him.

"I thought you'd say that." Hizashi said, obeying his wife's command.

A pall hung over the celebration of the heir's third birthday, although it would have been more accurate to call it a gathering than a celebration. The recent sacrifice of the chief's brother was in everyone's mind, even more so for four of the people present. "I'm bored!" Naruto complained to his older brother.

"It's something you'll have to get used to, if you ever want to succeed as a Hyuuga."

"I don't see why you can't have fun and be a great ninja at the same time." Naruto grumbled.

"Don't question tradition." Neji said sternly.

"You need to lighten up." Naruto said before walking off, "I'm gonna go find someone who's less of a prick."

"He's so naïve." Neji said with a smirk as he watched his brother try in vain to start conversations with a group of elders.

"Sheesh, what's with these people? No one wants to _do_ anything." He muttered.

"Ano…"

"Hmm?" Naruto looked around, "Did someone say something?"

"Ano…Naruto?"

"Oh, there you are, Hinata. Speak up, I can barely hear you." Naruto told the small girl.

"Are you having… a good time?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Heh! Oh sure, how could I not have fun with all these exciting people around?" Naruto gestured toward the crowd in frustration.

"I'm sorry." Hinata apologized. "It's all my fault." She looked at her feet and rubbed her fingers together.

"Eh? It's not your fault! This is the longest conversation I've had yet!" Naruto exclaimed, earning some glares from the elders.

"Really? But… I've hardly said anything." Hinata said.

"Yeah, says something about our clan, huh?" Naruto said with a grin.

Hinata giggled, "I suppose. Ano, Naruto?"

"Yeah, Hinata?" Naruto looked at her, interest showing on his face.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Hinata inquired hesitantly.

"Hahaha, not at all, go ahead." Naruto replied.

"Why…why are you different from everyone else?" Hinata asked quietly.

Naruto looked at her suspiciously, "Why do you care?"

Hinata blushed, "You don't have to answer…if you don't want to."

"Ah, I don't mind. Well, my mom told me I have a gift. As you can tell, I'm the only Hyuuga without dark hair or funky eyes." Hinata instinctively brought her hand to her face. "I'll even tell you a secret." Naruto said conspiratorially, motioning for her to lean forward. Hinata brought her face close to Naruto's, blushing deeply. "My full name is Hyuuga Omiyage Naruto, because my mom says I'm a gift to the Hyuuga clan." Naruto whispered proudly.

"That's wonderful, Naruto." Hinata said, and then looked down at her feet, "I doubt there's anything special about me." She said sadly.

"Don't say that, Hinata. Everyone has something special about them." Naruto said passionately. "Anyway, isn't this your party?" He asked.

"Yeah, but…" Hinata started.

"No buts. I think you're special, and that means it's true." Naruto said firmly.

"Ok." Hinata gave in shyly.

"Well, since this is your party, you should have some fun!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

"How?" Hinata asked.

"Hmm…I'm not sure. Thinking is hard work; let's go get some food!" Naruto suggested loudly, pulling Hinata behind him to the table covered with all varieties of expensive food. However, before they could find anything that looked remotely edible on the table, a ringing interrupted them, and Hinata was rushed away to her assigned spot at the head table.

"Attention" Hiashi's voice permeated the area. "I'd like to thank everyone for attending. Now, I'd like to acknowledge the young lady. Hinata, please present yourself to the elders." Hinata curtsied toward the specified table. "If anyone would like to make a toast, now is the time to do so." A number of elders walked forward, toasting to boring stuff, such as the continued prosperity of the clan, a long life for the head and heir of the clan, etc. To put it simply, Naruto was bored again, and he bet Hinata felt the same way. 'Who cares about all this junk?" Naruto wondered to himself, 'Everyone deserves to have a good time on their birthday, so it's up to me to make sure she does.' Naruto decided, stealthily making his way to the area where the elders were making their long-winded toasts. Although he didn't see why they were called toasts, he hadn't even seen any bread around, much less a toaster. Naruto grinned, imagining the elders as toasters in formal kimonos. "Almost there. Wait…Now!" Naruto said to himself, rushing into the midst of the elders as soon as one finished speaking. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HINATA!" Naruto yelled out before anyone noticed his presence.

Hiashi shook his head at his young nephew's antics. "Would someone please apprehend that young boy?" Hiashi nearly let a grin come to his face, watching the elders move in confusion as the three year-old evaded their grasp. The grin finally appeared when he looked at his daughter, who was subconsciously smiling as she followed the blonde's antics. A guard approached and whispered in Hiashi's ear; duty called. Hiashi walked toward a special building in the Hyuuga compound.

Hiashi wished he could wait a few more years to do this, but the council had decided that Neji needed to step into his father's role as the protector of the heir, therefore the sealing ceremony had to be moved forward. "Neji, I'm sorry you have to go through all this at such a young age." Hiashi said to the young boy kneeling in front of him.

"I understand. It is what must be done for the good of the clan." Neji said, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Well, waiting won't do anyone any good. We might as well proceed with the sealing." Hiashi said, performing some hand seals. "Juin Jutsu!"

Neji gritted his teeth and waited for the pain to subside.

(That evening)

"Neji-niisan!" Naruto called out. "I wonder where he is; I didn't even see him at Hinata's party. If you can call something that formal a party.' Naruto said to himself. A grin crept onto his face, "At least it got more interesting when all those geezers started chasing me around."

"So you've returned." Neji's voice greeted the boy at the door.

"I didn't see you at the party; where were you?" Naruto asked.

"Clan business." Neji stated simply. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"Aw, come on Neji-niisan, you can tell me." Naruto pleaded.

"Alright, but remember, you asked for it." Neji said, moving into the light.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FOREHEAD?" Naruto exclaimed, sticking his finger in his brother's face.

"Calm down, your behavior is not becoming of a Hyuuga. This is the seal that marks me as a member of the branch family. This means that the sole concern of my existence is to protect the main family. It's fate." Neji explained.

Naruto burst out laughing, completely ruining the mood. "Please, don't tell me you believe all that junk you just spouted." Naruto said, holding his sides.

"Of course I do, and you should as well. The sooner you accept that, the easier life will be on you."

Naruto stopped laughing and looked his brother in his funky eyes "You're wrong, brother. The only person in charge of your fate is you. If you believe otherwise, then you're dumber than I thought." Naruto said seriously.

"What about father?" Neji countered, "You think he wanted to die? He didn't have a say in his fate, now did he?"

"Of course he didn't want to die! But you're wrong; he did have a say in his fate! He's just like the Yondaime!" Naruto replied.

"How do you figure! Neji scorned, although his interest was piqued.

"Can't you see? The Yondaime didn't have to die! He could have escaped and left Konoha to fend for itself. But he didn't, because that would have meant sacrificing thousands of lives. Our father did the same thing! He didn't have to die, but refusing the Cloud's demands would have meant war for Konoha! We're not ready for that; even I know that! Our father is every bit the hero the Yondaime was!" Naruto finished forcefully.

Neji pondered his younger brother's words. Perhaps there was something to what he was saying, "Thank you, Naruto; I hadn't thought about it that way. I will consider what you've told me tonight." Neji said before walking into his room.

A/N: Wow, I love this fic. I hope most of you out there feel the same. This is nearly 400 words longer than my previous longest chapter, but you guys deserve it. Next chapter, a two year time jump, and the reason for the title! You've been wondering, haven't you?

I'm only going to respond to meaningful reviews. I'll just list the rest.

**YaminekoHyousai: **Congrats on the first review. I'm not completely decided, but I'm sorta leaning toward random fights in the chuunin exam. So the Neji-Naruto fight could happen, it just has about as much a chance as anything else. :shrug: I'm always open to suggestions.

**Stormraven: **I'm psychic. I knew you were going to ask those questions, so I answered them.

**mackan56: **Hope my time jump choice worked for you.

**harukakanata:** Those are very possible pairings. Although, I can't promise you how much I'll focus on people besides Naruto.

**Hisoka316: **He may end up saying that anyway. But I can't say anything yet.

**Dragonien and Shikamaru: **You write it; I'll read it.

**Flameraven1: **Your questions will each be answered in due time.

**Dragon Man 180: **Good guess.

**cheeseburger: **Well, I'm on the nature side of the nature-nurture debate. That should explain Naruto's personality.

**Blinkin: **Over the top? Perhaps. But just remember who he's related to.

**The Gandhara: **Duly noted.

**Joker: **Wait and see.

A huge thank you goes to **Dairrokkan, raging hobo, raven, Leoj49OP, Shinta Azechi, the DragonBard, Rook, warprince2000, nonengel, Wrath of air,** and** KageSakura **for their support. If you want individual recognition, ask a question. I'll answer it, although it might be a vague answer if it's part of the storyline.


	3. Discovery

**A/N**: I apologize for the long wait; I couldn't keep the readers of my other fics waiting any longer. But Christmas break starts Tuesday, so hopefully I'll be able to update a little quicker in the next few weeks. I used the reply button to reply to all the signed reviews, but a few of the anonymous reviewers deserved recognition, so here are their replies:

**Joker**: That's a good idea. I'm almost sorry I didn't think of it. I don't think I'm gonna go back and put it in, but that doesn't change the fact that it's good.

**M**: Yeah, I didn't want to stray too far from the basic canon storyline. Yeah, the 'Neji-angst' is mostly stopped, although Neji's personality will remain pretty much the same. Don't worry; I will never lose interest in a fic. That's true; did I say something to the contrary? If I did, it was a typo. I'm not sure if I went back and did that or not, but I'll work on it from now on. If you saw a man trying to kidnap your daughter, would you worry about whether he lived or died? I wouldn't.

Chapter Three-Discovery

"Wow! That was awesome, Neji!" The five year-old's voice rang out.

Neji smirked at his brother's antics. "Eh, it's not that great. You'll be able to do the same soon enough, I'm sure."

The two had only recently started weapons training, and Naruto hadn't been able to hit his brother more than a few times, while he was covered in bruises from the impact of the blunt projectiles.

"Ok, it's your turn to dodge." Neji said, starting to collect the training tools.

"Heh, you won't even touch me this time this time; I'm gonna use my secret weapon!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Whatever you say, niisan." Neji smirked.

"Heh, take a look at those kids. So young, so naïve. They treat training like a game." A chuunin said to his friend.

"Let them have their fun. You know that's about as close to a game they'll get here in the Hyuuga family." The man told him.

The first man, who had been watching the pair practice, suddenly turned to his friend, "Hey, what do you know about the blonde boy?"

"Hmm? Not much, to tell the truth. He just showed up on Hizashi-san's doorstep about five years ago or so. Why do you ask?" The other man replied.

"Eh, no reason. Just curious." The first man shrugged.

"Ha! Told you I'd avoid all the weapons!" Naruto said excitedly as the last of the training weapons fell to the ground.

"Naruto…" Neji said slowly.

"Yeah Neji?" Naruto replied, looking at his brother.

"How did you do that? How did you stop the weapons without touching them?" Neji asked slowly.

"Oh, that? I just did what the elders have been teaching us. Push out chakra through all the points on your body. Although it is tiring, that's for sure." Naruto answered simply.

"Yes, I saw that much. But it shouldn't be possible for you to actually block a weapon with pure chakra." Neji pointed out.

"Yeah, I asked mom about that, and she said it was because of my gift. I don't know anything about it, I just do it." Naruto shrugged.

'It would take enormous amounts of chakra to do what he just did. I suppose he's right; it's thanks to his gift.' Neji thought. "That's awesome bro; I'm proud of you." Neji said.

"Yeah, soon I'll be able to beat you!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Heh, I wouldn't go that far yet." Neji smirked. 'When he blocked those weapons, I saw a red tint to his chakra; I'll have to ask mom about it later.'

Sarutobi had just finished his paperwork for the day. "Ah, I've earned a break. I'm going to walk around for a while." He told the anbu guards.

As he walked through the streets of Konoha, the older man nodded his head in contentment with the state of his village. The village had recovered quite nicely these past few years.. He would have kept going on with his walk, but a certain conversation caught his ear.

"I've never trusted the kid. First of all, he's the only person in the Hyuuga compound that isn't a Hyuuga. And if that weren't suspicious enough, he arrived around the time of the Kyuubi's attack. But I finally discovered something against him. I saw him practicing, and he used chakra to stop some kunai. Red chakra."

"So he's got a strange chakra color. I don't see why you're so excited." The other man said, doing his best to put up with his partner's behavior

"Don't you see?" The first man exclaimed, "The only time red chakra has ever been observed was during the Kyuubi attack!" Remember, Sarutobi-sama told us that the Yondaime had proved unable to destroy the demon, so he was forced to seal it inside of a baby boy. This kid is that very same boy. The Kyuubi must be biding his time until he can destroy Konoha once and for all. The boy needs to be taken care of immediately."

'Damn. I was foolish to believe that this could be kept a secret forever. I had really hoped that I wouldn't have to resort to this.' The Sandaime thought, making his way to the Hyuuga compound.

Nodding to the guards, he made his way to Naruto's soon to be former house. "Yamashita, the time has come. Somehow, one of the Hyuuga's has discovered Naruto's heritage. I have to take him to a safe place now; thank you for your help."

"I gave no help; I only took care of my son." Yamashita informed him.

Sarutobi smiled, "I wouldn't have you feel any other way. But we need to hurry…"

"Already on it." Yamashita wiped a tear from her eye; she was going to miss the little bugger. Things would certainly be less…interesting with him gone. "Naruto! There's someone here for you!" She called.

"Hmm?" Naruto walked into view, "Hey Old Man; what's up?"

"Well, Naruto, would you be interested in going on a little adventure?" The Hokage kneeled down to the blonde's level.

"An adventure? Really?" Naruto was jumping up and down in excitement. He had never been allowed outside of the compound before!

"There's just one thing: neither your mother nor anybody else you know will be coming with you." The Sandaime solemnly told the young boy.

Naruto's face fell, "I've never been away from Kaa-chan before…"

"I know, but this _mission _is very important to keep the village safe."

Naruto gaped at the older man, wide eyed, "A mission…just like a ninja…"

The Third chuckled, "That's right, _exactly _like a ninja. It's going to take a long time, but you _will_ be able to see your friends and family _sometimes_."

"When do we go?" Naruto 'accepted' eagerly.

"Just as soon as you pack." Sarutobi smiled as he watched the boy rush off.

His face quickly became serious again, "You remember what to do, right?"

Yamashita nodded, "Of course. He contracted a rare form of pneumonia. He had to be rushed to a warm, dry climate immediately, or risk permanent disability or even death."

"Perfect. You realize I wouldn't do this if it weren't absolutely necessary."

"I know, but that doesn't make it any easier."

"I'm sorry to put you through this all over again." The older man put a hand on her shoulder.

Yamashita smiled, "Yes, but a temporary separation is far better than a permanent one. I'm just not sure how he will handle being away from home for the first time…"

"I'm sure he'll adapt wonderfully; it's in his blood. As an additional benefit in this upcoming arrangement, I would trust his new guardians with my life. They may not be very good ninjas by most standards, but _no one_ finds them when they don't want to be found. You don't go to them; they come to you." Sarutobi assured the woman.

Naruto ran to his room and packed quickly. He really didn't have all that much besides his clothes, so it wasn't hard to fit everything into a small suitcase. 'I need to tell Neji-niisan and Hinata-chan about my adventure!' He thought excitedly. He ran out to the training area; Neji was always training to further his skills. Naruto had overheard some of the elders saying something about Neji being a prodigy. He wasn't sure what that meant, but he did know he had trouble keeping up with his brother during their training sessions. Naruto could hardly land a punch on Naji-niisan anymore; he was really good at that eye-thingy everyone else had. He found his brother throwing kunai at the practice targets. "Neji-niisan, guess what!" Naruto said animatedly.

"Can it wait till after my training session?" Neji asked, already knowing the answer.

"Nope, 'cause I might be gone by then." Naruto replied.

"Really?" Neji was interested; he couldn't recall a time when Naruto had been allowed out of the compound.

"Yep, I'm going on an adventure away from everybody. Old Man Hokage told me so."

"Do you know how long?" Neji pressed.

Naruto scrunched his face in thought for a minute, "A long time." He said, proud that he had remembered.

Neji nodded, "Good luck." He said, holding out his hand.

"Thanks, niisan." Naruto shook his brother's hand, and then he was off to find his next target.

"Hmm, I bet she's in the gardens…" Naruto muttered. "She always seems to be there…probably something to do with the butterflies."

"Hinata! Are you in there?" Naruto yelled when he reached the garden entrance.

A flock of butterflies scattered at the sudden noise. The young Hyuuga heir appeared in their wake. "Oh, hello, Naruto." She turned and greeted him shyly.

"Sorry about scaring away the butterflies." Naruto apologized.

"It's okay; they'll come back." Hinata replied.

"I don't know how you do it; they always fly off whenever I get close." Naruto shrugged.

"Maybe…maybe I can help you sometime?" Hinata suggested.

"That'd be awesome!" Naruto exclaimed before his face fell, "But I don't know when we'll be able to do it. I'm going away on a mission for a long time." He explained.

"That's okay; we can do it whenever you get back." Hinata said.

"Thanks Hinata, I'll hold you to that."

"Ok…Naruto?" Hinata questioned hesitantly, "Do you have time to come see my sister?"

"Sure, why not?" Naruto shrugged.

"I thought you might've had to go now-" Hinata poked her fingers together.

Naruto grabbed her hand, tugging at it, "Silly, you're not supposed to answer those questions. They're ret-or-ic-al." Naruto explained, sounding out the strange word, "Come on; let's go see your sister!" He insisted.

"Okay, she's this way." Hinata shyly led her excitable cousin to the small (by Hyuuga standards) room her mother was staying in until she fully recovered from the delivery.

"Kaa-chan, is it alright if we come in to see oneechan?" Hinata asked from the doorway.

"Of course, Hinata-chan. Just make sure to keep it down; I just got Hanabi-chan to go to sleep. Greetings, Naruto-kun, how are you today?" The young woman greeted the blonde child when he entered.

"I'm going on-!" Naruto started.

"Shh." Hinata's mother put her finger to her lips, pointing at the newborn.

"Oh, right," Naruto whispered, "I'm going on a mission."

"Really?" Hinata's mom whispered back, "What's it about?"

Naruto leaned in closer, "It's a _secret_." He told her, nodding his head to emphasize his point.

"Naruto!" The Thirds voice interrupted their conversation. "We need to get going now."

Naruto turned to the woman next to him, "Bye Aunt Shizuka. Bye Hanabi." He turned to the pale-eyed girl at his side, "Bye Hinata. Make sure you train to get strong while I'm on my mission. I want to see how much you've improved when I come back. You've got to be strong if you're going to lead the Clan when you grow up." Naruto whisper seriously. He tiptoed out of the room to go to the Sandaime. Come on Naruto, I have some-"

"Shh." Naruto put his finger to his lips, "The baby is _sleeping_" Naruto reproached the elderly man.

"Oh," Sarutobi whispered in response, "I guess we'd best be quiet then, eh?" The Hokage tiptoed down the hall next to the small boy.

Hiashi saw the pair walk past his office door, 'I don't even want to know.' He thought, shaking his head and getting back to his paperwork.

Naruto started; he couldn't believe he'd nearly forgotten! "I'll be right back." Naruto whispered to the Old Man before running off as fast as his legs could carry him. He stopped in front of a small memorial in the gardens. "I'm gonna make you proud, otou-san, you'll see. I'm gonna become the strongest ninja there ever was. Then no one will ever have to lose his father because of the threat of war. No one will risk war with the strongest village. And Neji-niisan won't have to have that cursed seal either. I'd like to see those dumb old elders try and stop me from removing it!" Naruto was getting quite worked up, but he quickly calmed down, "Goodbye, father…"

"Naruto, it'll be a lot quicker if I carry you." The Hokage said, glancing around, "Why don't you hop on my back."

"Okay!" Naruto agreed excitedly.

"Hang on tight; we're gonna be moving quickly and through a lot of trees." The Sandaime told the child.

Naruto nodded and tightened his grip around the man's neck.

"So, any idea what the Old Man wants?" A wiry teenager relaxed on a tree branch, snacking on one of the many edible fruits that could be found in the area.

"Not really; he just said that something had happened in the village that required our services." A girl appeared by his side.

"He's nearly here." The boy commented.

"Yep, should be here in about a minute and a half." The girl replied.

"I'm thinking more like two minutes. He's gettin' slower in his old age." The boy countered.

"We'll see." The girl smiled.

(1 minute and 37 seconds later)

"We're here; now if we wait for a few seconds…" Sarutobi let Naruto down from his perch on his back.

"Ha, I win." A feminine voice drifted into the clearing, its owner following shortly thereafter.

"You know I can't judge distances." The boy argued.

"But I still win." She teased.

"As usual." He conceded.

"Yay!" The girl laughed.

"Believe it or not, the pair you see before you are ninjas. Naruto, I'd like to introduce you to Kazuki," The boy waved, "and Moriko." The girl smiled kindly at the small child. "Kazuki, Moriko, this is Naruto." The small blonde stared at the pair in front of him.

"Are you really ninjas?" He asked excitedly.

"Of course, we are…the Hidden Harbor ninjas!" Kazuki said with a flair.

"Never heard of 'em." Naruto replied

"That just proves how well-hidden we are." Kazuki bragged.

Moriko just rolled her eyes at Kazuki's antics.

"So what's my mission?" Naruto asked, unable to wait any longer.

"Mission?" Kazuki and Moriko raised their brows at the Sandaime. "Please, do tell."

"Heh, this is it. You're going to stay with these two for a while, training the entire time, of course." Sarutobi explained.

"Will they help me get stronger?" Naruto asked.

"Whoa! Wait just one minute! We're going to be taking care of a little kid?" Kazuki was shocked, to say the least.

"Hey! You're not that big yourself!" Naruto countered.

"He has a point…" Moriko mused, doing her best to hide a smile.

"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side!" Kazuki exclaimed.

Moriko shrugged, "He does." She insisted.

"Just think of it as training for you as well." The Hokage interjected.

The teens blushed, "We're not thinking about anything like that right now!" They protested in unison.

"Whether you are or not does nothing to change the importance of this mission. I hate to have to ask this of you, but I can't think of anyone better suited for the job." The Sandaime said.

"Yeah, you're probably right about that part." Kazuki agreed.

"Humility…" Moriko warned.

"Sorry." Kazuki quickly apologized, "So, what do you think?" He asked.

"Do you have to ask?" Moriko responded.

"No, but you can never be too sure." Kazuki smiled, "We accept. Not like we really have any choice." He mumbled.

"I'm glad you understand. Well, Naruto, I'm going to leave you three to get to know each other; I need to get back to the village. You know, Hokage stuff." The Sandaime bowed, leaving the three in a puff of smoke.

"Showoff…" Kazuki muttered.

**A/N**: Hmm…I think that's good for this chapter. I think the next chapter will explain more about these newcomers. Feel free to ask any questions you might have.


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